Part 531

Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Land use: arable land: 8% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 92%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October international agreements: party to - Whaling (extended from Netherlands)

People ------

Population: 208,968 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate: 1.03% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 15.98 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 5.29 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.06 years male: 74.78 years female: 79.46 years (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Netherlands Antillean(s) adjective: Netherlands Antillean

Ethnic divisions: mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental

Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.) total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99%

Government ----------

Name of country: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen

Data code: NT

Type of government: part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954

Capital: Willemstad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Dutch realm)

Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm)

National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended